Frank claimed that when he worked with Avenatti’s former firm Eagan Avenatti, he had an independent contractor arrangement that said he would receive 25% of the firm’s annual profits and 20% of his client’s fees. Frank said he was also supposed to get copies of the firm’s tax returns and other financial records. His lawsuit, filed in May of this year, alleged that the firm didn’t provide the records, misstated what their profits were, and didn’t pay him the amount due to him. In February 2016 he filed a demand to go to arbitration, and resigned from the firm months later.

The two sides eventually reached a settlement agreement, whereby the firm would pay Frank $4.85 million, but Frank sued when he did not receive any payment by the deadline set in the agreement.

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In a statement to Law&Crime, Avenatti responded to the verdict by saying, “Any amount awarded Jason Frank will be deducted from the $12 Million he owes me and my firm for his outright fraud in stealing clients, etc.”